Firefly Restaurant

One of the best restaurants in Noe Valley, never had a bad meal there, highly recommend.

You would not believe your eyes if ten million…
Actually I could not believe my eyes when I saw the giant wrought-​iron fly positioned above the doorway of the entrance. Then we stepped in and I was more surprised by how many seats they managed to fit inside this residence converted into a restaurant. The dining area goes pretty far back and has a semi-​exposed kitchen. It was cozy and dimly lit with warm lighting, but pretty cramped. The pleated sheets covering the ceiling made for an interesting look. The paranoid in me couldn’t help but wonder what was behind the sheets. Once we sat down and got comfortable, I saw all the lovely candles housed in their custom frosted glass mason jars.
Mr. Joy brought me here after hearing positive words about it. To our surprise, one of his friends was actually our server (who no longer works there) that night.
Warm Bread & Dip — Bread was nicely toasted with a good crunch on the outside, and very soft and fluffy on the inside. I can’t remember what the dip was made of, but it was pretty good — very savory with a hint of sweet and sour, and a touch of heat. It was kind of like hummus.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/​Parmesan & Truffle Oil — Mr. Joy’s friend recommended these, saying how much he loved them even though he normally doesn’t like brussels sprouts.
They were served in what looked like a Japanese tamago pan. The sprouts were roasted brown, covered in oil, and topped with shredded parm. They were cooked well with a slight crunch and the parm/​oil gave it great flavor. However, a lot of restaurants serve brussels sprouts prepared in a similar way, so I didn’t think it was amazing. Tasty, sure.
Shrimp & Scallop Potstickers w/​Sesame Soy Sauce & Pickled Vegetable Ribbons:
Another recommendation from Mr. Joy’s friend. I thought the potstickers were pretty good. I often find that whenever someone takes a new approach with potstickers, the flavor of the ingredients gets lost once the filling is minced up, wrapped up, and fried up. This was kind of the same deal. I liked them, but couldn’t really taste the scallops.
Short Ribs & Shaved Parmesan:
Mr. Joy’s main dish was delicious. Short ribs were cooked well and seasoned well. I wouldn’t say shaved parm is the best choice for the dish, because I think shaved parmesan is best for cold dishes. When placed over hot dishes, they don’t maintain their shape or texture, but they don’t melt nicely either. If they intended cheese to melt, I would have gone with a gooier cheese. Actually with this dish, I probably wouldn’t need cheese.
Seafood Medley:
It was a special that night. It included sauteed calamari and one large prawn with head, served with some vegetables. Most of the ingredients were a little overcooked. The calamari was a little tough and the vegetables were a touch mushy. The prawn was good, but I wish there was more than one.
For dessert, we had a three-​layer pudding topped with cream, accompanied with a couple of small cocoa cookies. It was pretty good.
The food didn’t leave enough of an impression with me to warrant another visit. The service was wonderfully attentive. Our server asked us how we were doing throughout the meal and seemed genuinely interested in our thoughts on the food.

When I first walked in what struck me was the dreamy pleated sheet acting as the ceiling with a light fixture that appeared to be floating. Somewhat whimsical. The truffled Brussel sprouts didn’t disappoint, lightly crisp and brimming with flavor. The fried chicken was similar to foreign cinema in quality. Their «damn good biscuit» was just okay, a bit overcooked. The meatloaf, wrapped in bacon had a melt-​in-​your-​mouth texture. Yum!
I’ll be back, with the ambiance making the deepest impression.

I can’t say enough good things about this place. Almost everything is gluten free, the food is amazing. The fried chicken is very tender.
My only complaint is the price, but that is a common complaint about dining in San Francisco in 2016.

So much more to say, but for now, I will keep it simple.
great service, great food, great place, great time, I just left happy. (which is the whole point of eating out, I’m sure i could wax poetic about many of the dishes here but that kind of misses the whole point of going out to eat imho)
five stars hands down, totally resurrected my Unilocal account to write this review!

This is a cute little date spot! We had the olives that they get from Good Faith Farms — great salty starter. We also had the «griddled» daikon radish cake with shiitake mushrooms and scallions. These were cooked to perfection. I love things in cake form (especially crab cakes) so it was awesome to see radish in a cake presentation.
For the entrée, I had the Fried Mary’s chicken with mashed potatoes & gravy, winter braise and a damn fine buttermilk biscuit (or GF cornbread for the intolerant). Its $ 25 in terms of cost, but well worth it. The breading on the chicken is amazing. I am not gluten free but I went with the cornbread anyways and I really appreciate them having this option.
Overall, a good meal.

My wife & I were guests of another couple taken to Firefly tonight. We were impressed with the nice selection of entrees and appetizers. It is not an extensive menu with about 8 appetizers, 6 salads and 8 – 10 entrees. One entrée was vegan which shows they cater to varied clientele. My wife and I chose the trout filet and we shared a shrimp cake appetizer. I also had a beer from the extensive list of beers and wines. Service was fast and the food temp was perfect. My wife never had trout before and she was impressed. Service was excellent without being overly hovering. We had reservations for a Friday night and we were seated on time. The other couple had meat loaf & the trout dish and their plates were clean. No room for dessert but the selection was good. The atmosphere was casual but being dressed up you would fit well. The noise level was good as you could speak to your party at a normal voice. Nice job Firefly!

What a hidden gem in noe. This place is excellent for vegetarians. They have a good mix of meat and vegetarian options on their menu. I had the vegan cottage pie which was delicious and very filling. It has no nuts which is great for those nut allergies. Hubby and brother both had the fried chicken with buttermilk biscuit. The chicken was cooked perfectly. The biscuit is heavenly. Light and melt in your mouth goodness. So good in fact that my brother ordered the biscuit alone with his dessert. And speaking of dessert, it was so sinfully good and worth every bite. The s’more was the perfect bite and pairs very well with ice cream. The chocolate custard is phenomenal, rich and creamy paired perfectly with ice cream, caramel sauce and white chocolate crumble. We also tried the cinnamon something ice cream (can’t remember what it was called exactly) but it was soooo good. Not too sweet either and homemade. Overall loved this place. Only ding I have on this place is the price but I suppose that’s expected for SF. The portion size to price is a little expensive.

My partner and I have been going to Firefly ever since it opened, most frequently when we lived only five blocks away from it in Noe Valley. After we moved to be close to the ocean, we have eaten there less frequently, but still go three or four times a year. I think, however, last night will be our last visit.
The food is usually impressive, but throughout its history some main courses in particular have failed. That was true yesterday. My dish of beef shanks was oddly bland and gamey at once and left me feeling more than a little queasy for much of the following night and morning. There is no doubt the problem lingering in my gut was the meat. Similar failures have bothered me in the past. Sometimes dishes are so original or inventive that their parts fail to cohere and the result is a small disaster on a plate. The best ones, though, can be fine. My partner’s rice cake risotto, he said, was excellent. So were the appetizers and the always special desserts. We like to order three, for the pleasurable decadence of it.
The service has always been erratic, however, more so even than the main courses. They have begun to charge for their bread. So be it. But in the past it was always set on the table shortly after you’d been seated. We ordered two orders, but neither arrived until after the appetizer when I had to remind the server of our order. She never looked at us and abruptly and rudely turned away without saying a word. The bread did come eventually. But it was an unpleasant moment. And the timing was bad.
That is how Firefly works. Five or six servers may attend to you during your meal. Some of them are professional. Some are sloppy and careless, even, as was the case twice last night, rude. Unless and until the restaurant tutors their staff better and more consistently, it can be a bumpy night with your service at Firefly.
Furthermore, this particular meal was in part paid for as a gift. (It was my partner’s birthday.) But Firefly had failed to notify us of it. I had to call them, prompted by the person who had ordered it, to find out what had happened to it. I was told they had «lost» it. No one apologized. No one explained. It was treated more like a joke by the woman on the phone. What is odd is that this had happened before. The same person paid for a gift certificate to treat us to a meal at what she thought of as our favorite restaurant. But there was a mix-​up about it that took a great deal of discussion and persuasion to straighten out. This is simply unprofessional.
What is as irritating is that when I got home and did the arithmetic, something I ordinarily would not consider doing, I realized we had been overcharged. It was roughly only ten dollars. But it ought not to have happened at all. I did not call the restaurant because how could I demonstrate it after we had left? But there is no doubt it occurred. It’s become in some ways a careless place.
Our meal for two, with tip, cost, including the overcharge, $ 170.00. That would not necessarily be exorbitant. But for so uneven a meal and with such erratic service it seems excessive. After a meal at a fine restaurant, one should feel more at peace with the world. I left Firefly mostly doubtful at whether it was the restaurant it aspires to be and perplexed by its often very poor service and erratic food.

Went here for a Valentine’s special a few years back, and I was not disappointed in the least. I wish I could remember more about the food, but I do remember that the food was good, the company was great, the service and ambiance were lovely, and I’ve always meant to go back but haven’t found the time!

We came here for my mom’s 80^th birthday on Saturday night. It was a bit of a disappointment. Most of our party ordered the swordfish which came out at room temperature. My parents sent back their fish to be warmed up a bit and when the server brought it back it was the same original temperature. At least they were able to comp the dinner that my mother had.
The mayfair salad’s flavors were blurry at best.
We had the restaurant make plain pasta with butter and parmesan cheese for $ 9.50. Really? That dish should have been no more than $ 4.
Firefly has been open for a long time and needs to step up their game to get back to earning the four stars that it averages on Unilocal

Loved this place! Great ambiance, delicious food, farm fresh ingredients, & incredible service!
The food is great & I love that they use ingredients from local farms (they use carrots from Happy Boy Farms… trust me, these are the best carrots you will ever taste). The two dishes I tried that were memorable to me:
1. The brussel sprouts with truffle (sans parmesan cheese) small plate. Really liked these. Great flavor & roasted brussel sprouts are one of my favorites.
2. For my main course I got a swordfish dish. It wasn’t the best swordfish dish I’ve tasted, as the combination of flavors (capers & citrus) wasn’t as delicious to my tastebuds as I thought, but I cleaned my plate, so it was certainly good!
The service is definitely 5 stars. The chef came & spoke with us & they were incredibly accommodating to my pickiness.
This place makes a great date spot, or place to go with a small group of friends for a nicer dinner. The meal was $ 50/​person. We didn’t order wine/​drinks, but we did get a few small plates to share between the two of us, in addition to our entrée dishes.
It’s not my favorite restaurant in San Francisco, but certainly a great spot to go in Noe Valley.

³⁄₅ solids stars
eh, it was OK. Nothing very impressive. Their menu rotates seasonally. Portions are just about right, not too big and not too small.
Ordered:
Starter: Firefly GF nut & seed bread with seasonal spread (pâté) ²⁄₅ was a bit surprised they charge for bread, but the pâté was delicious…
1) Roasted Brussels sprouts with parmesan and truffle oil: ³⁄₅
2) Roasted cauliflower with Sugar Pie pumpkin curry, chickpeas, broccolini, basmati rice and chutney:3/5
3) Braised BN Ranch beef shank with polenta taragna, parsnips, carrots and crimini mushrooms: 3.5÷5
4) Bittersweet Chocolate Custard with Caramelized White Chocolate Brandy Sabayon, Cocoa Nib Crumble and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream: 3.5÷5
5) Warm Caramelized Apple Cobbler with Cheddar Biscuit, Cider Caramel and Buttermilk Cinnamon Brittle Ice Cream: ⁴⁄₅ I am not an apple dessert fan, but this was surprisingly good

Came for dinner. Half the food was mediocre, half was just bad. Place could be a three star if it was substantially cheaper, but at these prices it’s definitely a two star. Will not be coming back.
Service was pretty good, atmosphere was ok though it was very hot and stuffy.

We started off with the gluten free bread and olives. The bread had a lot of nuts almost to much nuts. The spread they gave with it was fantastic. I ordered the lamb for my main entrée. What I really liked about it was it tasted homemade with great quality. The lamb was cooked perfectly medium rare and had spinach and potatoes for sides. The sides were so good almost as good as the lamb.

I used to love Firefly. I came here when I had a bad day to cheer myself up. Over the last 20 years, it was my favorite cozy celebration spot. So when I returned to SF last night, a friend and I looked forward to going, for old times sake. For Brussels sprouts. I’ve even ordered them twice in one meal, I liked them so much.
But last night, the food was soggy and bland. The signature brussels sprouts were mushy and had too much oil. The delicata squash salad tasted bland. And the beef shank was lukewarm when it got to our table. Our server was nice enough and gave us free ice cream when we mentioned it. But really, we paid a lot of money for a mediocre meal.
Also: sad to see that the two signature paintings of the tricycles and the little girl on the table or no longer on the wall, replaced by art that wasn’t nearly as interesting.
It’s probably my last trip to a place I used to love.

Un ambiente muy acogedor y unos platos muy bien presentados y sabrosos. El local estaba lleno, vinimos sin reserva y tuvimos la suerte de tener que esperar solo 5 minutos para sentarnos. La chica era guapísima y súper maja, nos acomodó y nos ofreció los menús. Como llevaba unos días de macaque a base de burguers y burritos me pedí una sopa de tomate y un plato de verdura a base de espinacas con limón. La sopa estaba deliciosa, y era un «poal» que menos mal que era líquido, en serio ¡están locos estos americanos!
Las espinacas muy conseguidas y sabrosas, y de beber me pedí algo que jamás volveré a probar: Root beer, what? Lo que leers, cerveza de raíz, no sé de qué porque estaba rarísima, un sabor dulce y entre seco y terroso, raro, raro, raro… pero sin alcohol, lo único bueno o malo de la bebida según se mire. Por lo demás, el local es acogedor y hay un ambiente sano y distendido, de hecho unos señores mexicanos sentados en una mesa cercana se pusieron de cháchara con nosotros y estamos invitados a San Francisco cuando queramos en su casa, todo bajo los efectos del vino, obviamente ¡pero muy agradables!
De precio en la media de la ciudad, salimos a unos 60 y pico dólares con postre (un bombón de chocolate negro exquisito) y mi compi se había pedido una carne con muy buena pinta. Me encanta este barrio, espero volver.

So good! We came here for a friend’s birthday dinner. It wasn’t fast. But O. M. G. So good. I had the steak — YOWZERS — the sear was perfect & the seasoning salt or whatever they used is great! The green beans — Wow! And the potatoes– crispy and just right!
My guy had the fried chicken — crispy, moist, delicious.
Everyone at our table of 6 was happy and everyone cleaned their plate.

Firefly started out great. It has a neat space with high ceilings and cozy lighting. The service was friendly, and even though we walked in without a reservation, we were quickly seated at the bar. The menu had many interesting vegetarian options.
The food was really expensive for small portions, so I had high expectations. I guess we ordered all of the wrong things or went on a bad day, but our meal was really disappointing.
Warm Acme Levain with Seasonal Spread ($ 2.50)
The bread was tasty, and the spread was quite good. Good start!
Sweet Potato Tostones ($ 7):
Flavorful, but really tough.
Also, eating them was a challenge: they were too hard to pick up with my fork, but covered in sauce so I couldn’t pick them up with my fingers.
Goat Cheese Soufflé with Mizuna, Strawberries and Spring Onions ($ 14):
The Soufflé was just a tiny amount of soufflé, and it didn’t taste of anything at all.
Beluga Lentils with Various and Sundry Chokes, Carrot Fettuccine and Kale Pesto ($ 20):
Tiny bites were tasty, and the dish had potential. But the bulk of it was really bland.
Judging by the other reviews, I must have just gotten really unlucky. Their menu apparently rotates too. But after spending so much money on disappointing food, I can’t see myself going back.
I guess on the upside, it motivated us to start cooking food instead of going out to eat!

I was a lucky girl and my bf took me here to celebrate our first anniversary. It had been on our list of places and was definitely a surprise.
Ambiance: It’s upscale casual. The rooms are a little too bright to be considered romantic, but at least it’s easy to see your dinner company and read the menu!
Service: The hostess, waitstaff and busboys were on point.
Drinks: I ordered the Pinot Noir and it was the smoothest red I’ve ever had. Delicious.
Food: I ordered the Braised Mary’s Chicken with Dino Kale, Crispy Kale and Toasted Buckwheat Groats and my bf ordered the Grilled BN Ranch Lamb Sirloin with Thyme Scented Scalloped Potatoes and Caramelized Onion Jus. Both were amazing. The chicken meat just melted off the bone and was so moist and flavorful. The kale was also really good. The buckwheat groats were just okay and it was slightly too salty for my taste (maybe that in combo with the kale because it tends to be salty on its own), but I was so enthralled by the chicken it didn’t even matter. My bf’s dish was also delicious. You can tell they acquire quality ingredients and respect them in the cooking process. For dessert, we split the coconut tapioca, served with a small scoop of ice cream. It was delicious, but not too sweet. The perfect end to a great dinner.
Cost: It can be special occasion place for the average customer, but it’s not too expensive. I might even go here if I wanted to have a nice dinner with someone just because.
Would I return? Possibly!

Firefly is my go-​to spot in Noe Valley. The food is consistently good, and the service is always friendly and fast. I typically order the fried chicken (which is excellent), but it hasn’t been on the menu recently. Instead, I’ve been ordering starters for my full meal — an order of the daikon radish cakes and the Dungeness crab cakes. I call it my meal of cakes! Two appetizers make for a solid entrée as long as you don’t have a big appetite. They also have great seasonal salads… the toughest thing is deciding what to order!
They used to have a three-​course prix fixe menu Sun-​Thu which was a good deal — I haven’t seen that in a while but I hope they bring it back!

I had the Brussels sprouts with parmesan and truffle oil. Meh, I’ve had better.
For my entrée I had the veggie white beans chili with cornbread, avocado, serrano. It was ok. The grilled serranos added a nice touch, but still pretty boring taste overall.
Wouldn’t go back.

I don’t know why this place has been getting negative reviews. I’ve been here 2 times and the service/​food has always been nothing but great.
This place is a little small but its cute and cozy. They have these cute Hand-​Etched Artisan Firefly Jars. They’re so cute that I bought one. Anyway, I honestly cant remember what I ordered the first time I came here. Not because it wasnt good, but because they are always changing their menu. I promise I loved it! LOL If i ever remember what i ordered i’ll update the review.
The second time I came was on a Tuesday. (3 days ago) Super sad to report that they don’t serve their bread and humus type of sauce anymore.)= I was looking forward to it. Anyway our server was super nice and informed us that their special for the night was their fried chicken. I have been waiting to try their chicken and OH MY GOD it’s AMAZING! If you’ve ever been to Disneyland in Anaheim and tried the fried chicken there you’ve tasted some pretty good fried chicken. Firefly’s fried chicken tops any other fried chicken I have ever had. It was so moist and juicy and just so so good. You must order it. Oh we also ordered the brussels sprouts as an appetizer and that was delicious. It had parmesan cheese on it and truffle oil. drooool.
Overall the service and food are excellent! Can’t wait to go back (=

Best fried chicken in the City?
Pause. A dubious restaurant reviewer in our fair city touted it as so.
It’s actually very good when it’s on the menu. Coming here on a whim, we were fortunate that, due to typical San Francisco traffic, we were about 30 minutes late for our reservation. Coming from Chinatown, our drive was a bear but fortunately we found parking about a block and a half from the restaurant. We knew the location as we used to shop at the nearby pet store for my friend’s kids.
Coming on a weeknight, the restaurant was full and buzzing. Seated in the right dining area, we were quickly given menus and greeted by our waiter. Being a ‘mission’ visit, we both ordered the touted fried chicken (
). We also shared a salad and the pan fried radish cakes (
) with shrimp. The salad was okay while my dining companion found the radish cake a bit oily (ate most of this). The fried chicken was served temperature hot and the accompaniments paired well with it. It was crispy good with no oil aftertaste. As we finished our meal, there was an audible buzz and some random cheers. I overheard the staff mention Ishikawa homering to win the game.
As it turned out, what a night! We got to try Firefly’s chicken and the Giants were going to the World Series! Literally, winner winner, chicken dinner!

Aunque tuvimos que esperar un poco, la comida mereció la Peña, el cordero que me pedí estaba bien cocinado, como a baja temperatura, la guarnición y decoración del plato estaba buena, algo barroca pero bien ejecutada. Mis compañeras de mesa también les gustó sus platos. Es recomendable